Vijayaraghavan (born 20 December 1951) is an Indian actor who predominantly works in

Malayalam cinema Malayalam cinema is an Indian film industry of Malayalam-language motion pictures. It is based in Kochi, Kerala, India. The films produced in Malayalam cinema are known for their cinematography and story-driven plots. In 1982, ''Elippathayam' ...

. He is popular for his character roles. He is the son of popular drama and cinema artist N. N. Pillai. He got his break by playing the iconic character ''Ramji Rao'' in 1989 film Ramji Rao Speaking. This character later got the cult status in Malayalam Cinema.

Early life and family

Vijayaraghavan is the son of veteran actor N. N. Pillai and Chinnamma. He was born in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = '' Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , su ...

on 20 December 1951, the capital of the

Federation of Malaya The Federation of Malaya ( ms, Persekutuan Tanah Melayu; Jawi script, Jawi: ) was a federation of what previously had been British Malaya comprising eleven states (nine Malay states and two of the British Empire, British Straits Settlements, P ...

, where his father worked as an Estate Manager. He has two sisters Sulochana and Renuka. He had his primary education from Govt. High School, Kudamaloor.

Acting career

Vijayaraghavan made his film debut with ''Kaapaalika'', which was based on his father's play of the same name. He appeared in just a couple of scenes in this film. His opening as a full-fledged actor occurred ten years later in ''Surumayitta Kannukal'' (1983). However, it was only after he appeared in the 1987 film ''

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

'' that Vijayaraghavan became a busy star in Malayalam film. He got a break with his performance in the 1989 film '' Ramji Rao Speaking'', in which he played the title role of the villain Ramji Rao. In the mid-1990s Vijayaraghavan played the hero in a number of low-budget Malayalam movies. He appeared in a few movies as second hero with Suresh Gopi in the lead role, including ''

Commissioner A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something). In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...

''. He also played notable roles in movies such as ''

Ekalavyan Ekalavya (Sanskrit: एकलव्य, ''ékalavya'') is a character from the Indian epic Mahābhārata. He was a young prince of the Nishadas, a confederation of forest and hill tribes in ancient India. Ekalavya is called as one of the fore ...

'', ''

Crime File ''Crime File'' is a 1999 Indian Malayalam-language action crime thriller film by K. Madhu starring Suresh Gopi, Siddique and Sangita Madhavan Nair. The film is loosely based on the 1992 murder of Sister Abhaya in Kerala. Plot Sister Amala, a ...

'', ''

Mafia "Mafia" is an informal term that is used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the original “Mafia”, the Sicilian Mafia and Italian Mafia. The central activity of such an organization would be the arbitration of d ...

'' and ''King''. In 1995, he reprised his role as the character Ramji Rao in ''

Mannar Mathai Speaking ''Mannar Mathai Speaking'' is a 1995 Indian Malayalam-language comedy thriller film produced and directed by Mani C. Kappan and written by Siddique-Lal. The stars Mukesh, Innocent, Sai Kumar, Vani Viswanath, Biju Menon, Geetha Vijayan, K. P. ...

''. In the 2000s, he turned to character and villain roles and appeared in various movies, among them '' C.I.D. Moosa'', ''

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

'', '' Chotta Mumbai'', ''

Mayavi ''Māyāvi'' is a Malayalam comic strip appearing in the Indian comic magazine ''Balarama'' owned by MM Publications. The series, was first published in the August 1984 issue of Balarama. Artist M. Mohandas gradually took over the drawing of ...

'', '' Bharathchandran I.P.S.'' and ''

Raavanaprabhu ''Raavanaprabhu'' () is a 2001 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller drama film written and directed by Ranjith in his directorial debut. It is a sequel to the 1993 film ''Devaasuram'' written by Ranjith, directed by I.V. Sasi. The film st ...

''. He has also appeared in a popular Malayalam television serial entitled ''Kavyanjali'', produced by

Balaji Telefilms Balaji Telefilms is an Indian company that produces Indian soap operas, reality TV, comedy, game shows, entertainment, and factual programming in several Indian languages. Balaji Telefilms is promoted by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor and is a ...

. Vijayaraghavan is specially known for playing the iconic character Ramji Rao in 1989 film '' Ramji Rao Speaking'', in 1995 film ''

'', in 2014 film ''

Mannar Mathai Speaking 2 ''Mannar Mathai Speaking 2'' is a 2014 Indian Malayalam-language comedy thriller film directed by Mamas K. Chandran. It is a sequel to the 1995 comedy ''Mannar Mathai Speaking'' and the third installment in the celebrated Ramji Rao franchise. A ...

'' and in 2019 film ''

Mask A mask is an object normally worn on the face, typically for protection, disguise, performance, or entertainment and often they have been employed for rituals and rights. Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practic ...

''.

Personal life

He is married to Anitha and has 2 sons. The elder son, Jinadevan is a businessman and is married to Rakhi. The younger son, Devadevan is in film industry. He is settled at Olassa, Kottayam District, Kerala.

Filmography

Malayalam films

Tamil films

Television

*Crime Branch (

Kairali TV Kairali TV is an Indian Malayalam-language general entertainment television channel owned by Kairali TV Network (Malayalam Communications Limited). It is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram. It was launched on 17 August 2000. The channel is bac ...

) *Kaavyanjali ( Surya TV) *Snehatheeram ( Surya TV)

References

External links

Vijayaraghavan at MSI
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vijayaraghavan 21st-century Indian male actors Male actors from Kerala Living people Male actors in Malayalam cinema Indian male film actors 20th-century Indian male actors 1951 births People from Kuala Lumpur